Flames on Brink of Elimination Against Wild

The Calgary Flames are fighting for their playoff lives against the Minnesota Wild.

Jan 25, 2025; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; The Minnesota Wild and Calgary Flames fight resulting in three penalties for each side in the second period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild are both fighting for a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Wild are occupying a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, and the Flames are desperately pursuing that same spot.

The Flames are on the brink of elimination. Trailing by five points in the playoff chase with just four games remaining, the Wild can shut down the Flames' pursuit with a victory in their upcoming contest. With a win, the Wild would reach 95 points and clinch their playoff berth. It would also put Calgary on its last legs. If they lose to the Wild, they'd need the St. Louis Blues to lose each of their remaining games and three straight wins of their own.

The season Calgary's had is impressive enough already, but a playoff spot would be the perfect reward for this organization's efforts. They entered the season as huge underdogs with no expectations of pushing for a playoff spot.

Luckily for the Flames, they've had success against the Wild this season. They are 2-0 against the Wild, winning by a single goal in each contest. They'll need to draw on that success to go 3-0 against Minnesota or else their playoff hopes will be snuffed out.

The Wild enter the game with a renewed optimism, and the Flames must be ready to overcome that wave. Minnesota received a huge boost with the returns of forwards Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov. Eriksson Ek was outstanding in his first game back, netting four goals to help lead his team to victory. Adding him and Kaprizov dramatically transforms the Wild's offensive lineup from average to dangerous, and they aim to show that again in Calgary.

This matchup is going to have a playoff-like atmosphere to it. Both squads still have everything to prove, and the Flames hope to stave off elimination for another night.

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